65th Anniversay in Plaszow

March of Life "Marsz Zycia"

After being at the Palm Sunday celebration at the square, we ventured out of Kazimierz to an area across the river called Podgorze. I had read information about an event that was to take place there to commemorate the final liquidation of the Jewish ghetto, in 1943.

I'm assuming most of you have seen the movie 'Shindler's List'. I didn't realize until yesterday that Keith hasn't seen it. If you know about the movie, you'll know that it took place, and was filmed here in Krakow. In the district called Podgorze. I hope I get the facts straight, so, in a nut shell, here goes.

Poland was invaded by Nazi's and Soviet Russia in 1939, at the very beginning of World War II. This country lost 6 million people during the war, half of them Jews. Part of the Nazi plan was to have Krakow 'cleaned' of the Jewish people. The General Government of the Nazi's was established in this section of Poland. This quarter of the country was to be the administrative region for racial cleansing. Thus Auschwitz-Birkenau is close by. And the buildings of Krakow are virtually untouched by the destruction of war.

In March of 1941 the Nazis moved 15,000 Jews out of the Kazimierz district of Krakow, across the Wistula River into Podgorze. The ghetto was established and sealed off by a wall, that was built with the forced labor of the Jews themselves. This ghetto paralleled other cities in Europe that were going through 'extermination'. The town held 3000 Poles, so you can imagine the over crowded living space the deported Jews endured. The displaced Poles of Pogorze, were sent to live in Kazimierz.

The Nazis established a forced labor camp in Plaszow, about a mile away from the ghetto and over two years deported Jews there, from the Podorze ghetto.

German businessman Oskar Shindler, somehow, possibly through bribes, persuaded the Nazis to allow him to have Jewish labor at his enamel factory. And was able to save 1100 or so people from certain death.

The final liquidation came between 13 and 15 March 1943. During those couple of days 2000 people were shot, with the remaining thousands being sent to Plaszow or Auschwitz. The Jews had lived in Krakow 600 years, and were effectively wiped off the face of the earth. I found one source online that states March 13 1943 as the first day the gas chamber at Krema II Birkenau was used, when 1,492 women children and elderly from Podgorze ghetto were put to death immediately upon arrival.

So, to commemorate Shindler's efforts, about two dozen Holocaust survivors from Poland, Israel, and other countries were here on this past Sunday, Palm Sunday, March 16. They walked from a square in Podgorze to the Plaszow camp site. Our language teacher said that it occurs each year as the "March of Life". News accounts state that a long with the survivors, a total of 700 took part.

Keith and I were on the hill, Krak's Mound, that is situated between the two areas of Podgorze and Plaszow. We still aren't familiar enough with the city and couldn't quite find the memorial. Although we did find part of the wall that enclosed the ghetto. It is pictured at the top of this entry. The photo at the left is an old picture. The restored wall as it is today is on the right. It's located behind a school, and is part of the boundary of their playground. We couldn't find a sign telling us how to get to it. In fact we had walked up to an area that looked like a cemetery and just happened to see the familiar shaped ghetto wall down below us. I don't think we were the first tourists to find it with out a guide, since the chained link fence was already bent down enough for us to climb down to the wall.

I can't tell you how moving it was to be there yesterday. Very understated, since we never found the hundreds that took part in the march. I think the march happened while we were at the Palm Sunday celebration in Wolnica Square in Kazimierz. The day was definitely divided between two distinct emotions. From the uplifting Easter celebration, to the solemn remembrance of the Holocaust.

The history here is touchable, you can 'feel' it.

And once again we feel blessed to be in such a place as Krakow.